After taking care of everything, Kayla returned to Atwood Villa. Upon entering, she caught sight of Winston's shoes in the entryway.

"He's back?" she asked casually.

The butler hesitated. "Yes, Mrs. Atwood. Mr. Atwood's home. His coworker gave him a lift. He's in the bedroom now."

"His coworker?"

The butler nodded. "Yeah, a young lady."

Kayla paused, then quickly collected herself. "Got it. You can go now."

After sending the household staff away, she stood by the door to the bedroom she shared with Winston.

Tiffany's sweet and syrupy voice drifted out from inside. "Oh, stop it. Be gentle, or you'll hurt the baby."

Winston chuckled, his voice deep. "Guess this is your fault for seducing me. Come here, let me get a better look…"

Next came a series of sounds that were hard to bear.

That was Kayla and Winston's bedroom, but he was making out with Tiffany inside.

Kayla stood by the door, feeling her blood run cold from head to toe. The coldness stung, and it felt like her heart was being torn in two.

She wasn't sure how long it had been, but Winston finally pulled away from Tiffany, looking pleased.

Tiffany grabbed the barrette Kayla had left on the bedside table and pouted at Winston. "Win, you've given her such a nice thing. I want something, too."

Winston's expression hardened, and he snatched the barrette from her hand. "Don't go after what's not yours. You can have anything else, but not this."

Kayla overheard him outside the door and found it painfully ironic. Just moments ago, Winston was all over Tiffany, but now he acted like a devoted husband.

Kayla wondered where his heart truly lay. She knocked, and suddenly, the room went quiet.

"Who's that?" Winston asked, acting like nothing had happened.

"It's me," Kayla said flatly.

She heard quick footsteps coming closer, and the door flew open.

"Kay?" Winston took her hand, his face full of concern. "Where have you been?"

"M-Mrs. Atwood." Tiffany looked startled.

Before Kayla could ask anything, Winston casually introduced Tiffany. "This is someone I work with. I drank way too much tonight with a client and couldn't drive. She was heading the same way, so she gave me a ride."

Kayla looked up at him. "Is that so?"

As soon as she walked into the bedroom, she noticed everything—the messy sheets beneath the blanket, Winston's shirt buttoned up wrong, and the fresh scratch on his inner forearm.

Every little detail shouted his betrayal in her face.

Winston's eyes met Kayla's, and he froze. He couldn't place it, but something felt different about her.

"Yeah," he replied, pulling her into his arms. "I passed up all their invites so I could be back with you sooner."

"Mr. Atwood, you've had quite a few drinks. How about I whip you up a hangover remedy?" Tiffany suggested.

Kayla glanced over her shoulder and caught Tiffany giving her an unmistakable look of provocation.

Winston shot Tiffany a cold stare. "That's not needed. Why are you still sticking around?"

Tiffany's expression stiffened, her voice laced with hurt. "S-Sorry for interrupting. I'll go now."

She grabbed her purse and hurried out, her steps heavy with frustration.

Kayla watched Winston. He was holding her, but his eyes followed Tiffany as she walked away.

"I'm tired. I'm heading for a shower," she said, pulling away from Winston. She stopped at the sight of the bed. "Get the housekeeper to change these sheets."

Winston looked flustered.

"They smell like alcohol from you. I won't be able to sleep peacefully," she added.

Winston breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Okay."

Kayla couldn't sleep a wink that night. The thought of Winston and Tiffany having sex in their bed made her stomach churn.

The day after, she found something even more repulsive.

Winston headed to work like usual in the morning, and Kayla started packing her things.

Suddenly, her phone lit up with a message from Tiffany. "Ms. Greenfield, we need to talk."

Kayla thought about ignoring it, but Tiffany wouldn't stop messaging her.

"I'm sure you can tell by now, right? Win and I are more than just friends."

"He's totally into me, and there's no room for you in his life."

"It'd be better for everyone if you just stepped aside."

"I bet you didn't know this, but when you came home yesterday, he was all over me, begging for sex."

Next, Kayla received several photos of them getting it on in the bedroom, the car, and the office. She felt so sick that she bolted to the bathroom and threw up until she could barely see straight.

Her condition had gotten worse. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and stumbled back to the bedroom.

Kayla's gaze landed on the white gold, diamond-studded barrette resting on the bedside table, and she teared up.

Winston's love for her burned like fireworks—unpredictable and gone too soon. All the others saw were the beautiful sparks, while she was the only one close enough to see the ashes they left behind.

Kayla picked up her phone and called the auction house. "Hello, I've got something I'd like to donate."

Winston didn't even bother to come back today.

As the night settled in, he called Kayla to say there was an issue at a branch in another city and that he had to hurry off. His tone was earnest, and every word seemed to carry an apology.

"Sorry, Kay. It all happened too quickly, and I didn't get to talk to you in person. Once I'm back, I'll take two weeks off to be with you, okay? I'll bring you a little something soon. Stay home and wait for me. Love you."

Kayla listened to his sweet, affectionate words while reading Tiffany's messages, and a wry smile crossed her face.

Tiffany shared pictures of herself and Winston at a resort in the nearby city. He held her in his arms, his hand resting on her thigh, covered in stockings. He seemed like he couldn't wait a second longer.

"Kayla, it must be hard waiting alone at home. Look at your husband—he got all the moves," Tiffany texted.

Winston grew impatient on the other end of the line when Kayla stayed silent. "Kay?"

Kayla wondered if he was in a hurry to get off the phone so he could jump into bed with Tiffany.

"I hear you," she said quietly before hanging up.

Her heart had been broken too many times to care now, and she thought maybe this was for the best.

She looked around the room, then placed the diagnosis report into the gift box she'd gotten ready. By the time Winston got home, she'd be gone without a trace.

"Mrs. Atwood, are you really sure you want to burn all of this?" The butler and housekeepers stared at her, shocked.

"Yes, everything," Kayla said, tossing a photo album into the fire.

The flames flicked at the glossy prints, and before long, the photos were reduced to ash, drifting weightlessly into the air.

Kayla and Winston had gotten that photo album when they were dating. It held all their memories, from their dating days to their life after marriage.

Every photo they'd taken and kept in it was a treasured memory for them.

The two of them used to go through the pages, saying that someday, when they were older, they'd show their grandkids the album and tell them about their love story.

Nobody knew exactly when, but it had been long since the album got any new photos.

Kayla watched everything turn to ash and smoke, feeling the part of her heart that held everything related to Winston fade, leaving nothing but an empty void.

But it barely mattered since she didn't need it anymore.

Kayla went to the hospital on the last day. She finished all the medication the doctor gave her and was too weak to stand on her own.

As soon as she entered the ward, her body gave out, and she passed out. She stirred awake at some point, but only for a short while.

Only a nurse stayed by her bedside. When she saw Kayla wake up, she quickly asked if Kayla had anything she wanted to say to her loved ones.

Kayla gathered all her strength to grab her phone and unlock it.

Winston hadn't bothered to message her in days. The only one who had reached out was Tiffany.

She kept filling Kayla in every day on all the details of her time with Winston. She bombarded Kayla with photos of her and Winston swimming, shopping, watching movies, visiting amusement parks, and more.

Kayla checked out each picture before handing over her phone and everything else to the nurse. "I-I've got nothing more to say. Please, burn these for me."

"Sure." The nurse nodded, her eyes reddening.

After taking care of everything, Kayla closed her eyes, feeling a sense of peace.

The snow kept falling outside the window, and it would cover all traces with a peaceful white blanket by morning. It was like the love between her and Winston, swept away by the wind without a trace.

"Winston, let's not meet again in the afterlife," Kayla thought.

She never opened her eyes after that.